Profitings

Part of speech: noun, verb

Definitions

1. The act or process of gaining financial advantage or benefit from an investment, business, or commercial activity; making a positive return on resources expended; accruing wealth or earnings through economic endeavors
2. The process of obtaining monetary gain or surplus from transactions, enterprises, or ventures; achieving economic success by generating income exceeding costs; securing returns from investments or sales
3. Engaging in the generation of financial returns or benefits by means of business operations, investments, or commercial dealings; realizing earnings or revenues above expenses; producing valuable outcomes in monetary terms

Etymology: "Profitings" is the plural of "profiting," the present participle and gerund of the verb "profit." Its own history is simple: the plural simply counts separate instances of gaining from something, so it is used when speaking of several such gains or ventures. The underlying verb "profit" is what carries the story. It descends from Old French "profit," which came from Latin "profectus," meaning progress or advancement, so the original sense was moving forward rather than money changing hands. Over time that sense of advancement narrowed toward material benefit, until a profit became specifically a financial surplus.

Synonyms: earnings, gains, returns, profits, revenues

Antonyms: losses, deficits, expenses